Nut and bolt assembling machine



Dec. 7, 1937.- A H. H. GRAY 2,101,367

NUT AND BOLT ASSEMBLING MACHINE I Filed July 27, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet l Dea. 7, 1937. H, H, GRAY 2,101,367

NUT AND BOLT ASSEMBLING MACINE Filed Julyv2'7, v1936 l 5 Sheetsi-Sheet 2 Snventor Dec. 7, 1937. H. H. GRAY 2,101,367

NUT AND BOLT ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed July 27, 1936 5'Sheets-Sheet 5 69 Brmcntor Gttorncusl NUT AND BOLT ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed July 27,'1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 H. H`. GRAY Dec. 7, 1937.

NUT AND BOLT ASSEMBLING MACHINE:

v Filed July 27, 1936 l5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Il! lill w Q-' l :Snventor Harz# jf. raz.

Patented Dec. 7, 1937 UNiTED T TA OFFICE 16 Claims.

This invention relates to nutting machines, that is machines for screwing loose bolts and nuts together preliminary to storage or shipment to jobbers, distributors or users, and my object is to produce a machine of this character which is wholly automatic and which is rapid, eicient and dependable in operation.

I have discovered that the practical difficulty encountered in producing a machine capable of performing the function above mentioned, lies in the failure to eiiect alinement of the threaded bolt and nut in such fashion as to insure proper initial engagement of the threads. My object. therefore, is to devise a mechanism whereby either the bolt or the nut member may be held with the axis of its threaded portion extending in a vertical plane or approximately thereto, while a rapid spinning movement or relative rotation in a vertical plane is imparted to the members as they are brought into engagement so that if the axis of the bolt is not in a vertical plane, the spinning movement, through gyroscopic action, tends to straighten up the bolt and bring its axis toa vertical position for the proper starting of the nutting operation. The result is that alinement is insured and initial threaded engagement is positive in every case where the threaded parts are not so defective as to prevent starting or initial engagement. In this application, I illustrate one type of mechanism in which the spinning movement is imparted to the bolt member while the nut is held stationary, although obviously the nut could be spun, or bothl members could rotate in opposite directions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which will accommodate bolts of varying length without necessitating complicted adjustments of the operative parts of the machine.

With the general objects named in view and others as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l. is a plan view of a machine embodyin the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same omitting certain cam-operated parts in the background in the interest of clearness, such omitted parts most clearly appearing in Figures i to s inclusive, and in Figure 9.

Figure 3 is a side view of the machina Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section on the line IV--IV of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a fragmental central vertical section on the line V-V of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmental horizontal section in a lower plane than Figure 4, but with certain parts of the latter dotted in a diiferent position of adjustment, and the other parts broken away to disclose some of the underlying features.

Figure 7 is a fragmental horizontal section on the line VII-VII of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is an enlarged vertical section showing the stationary post and the parts mounted thereon.

Figure 9 is a perspective viewv of part of the mechanism for ejecting nuts failing proper engagement with bolts.

Figure 10 is a section on the line X-X of Figure 8.

In the said drawings, a rigid framework is disclosed as comprising a base I, a pair of angle-bar standards 2 and 3 spaced laterally apart, and other immovable bars, braces and supports, certain of which are hereinafter identied by reference characters. It is to be understood, however, that the framework of the machine may be of any type suitable as a proper support for the operative parts.

A horizontal circular table Il is disclosed as provided with siX peripheral semi-circular recesses 5, and is mounted on a stationary cylindrical post t, for step-by-step or intermittent rotation, each recess in turn receiving one vertically-disposed bolt as another, in a diametrically-opposite recess, attains a position vertically over a nut, these actions occuring at each pause of the table between intermittent movements thereof.

To effect the operation of the table, the following mechanism is provided: An electric motor l on the framework (shown only in Figure 1), is connected by a belt 8, to a belt wheel 9, on a vertical shaft l0 suitably journaled in the framework.

Said shaft also carries a smaller belt wheel II connected by a belt I2 to a large belt wheel I3, secured on a vertical shaft I4 suitably journaled on the framework, and said shaft I4 carries a small belt wheel i5 (Figure 7) connected by a belt I6, to a large belt wheel I'I secured on a vertical shaft I8 journaled on the framework and carrying four rotatable disks, the topmost one being disk I9. Pivoted on a wrist pin of said disk is one end of a link 2|, pivoted also to a pin 22 of a disk 23 mounted for oscillation on the shaft or post t, and said disk 23 has an underlying arm 24 carrying a spring-actuated pawl 25, engaging a ratchet wheel 26 secured to the table 4 by a sleeve 21, the ratchet wheel teeth corresponding in number to the recesses of the table so that with each complete circle described by wrist pin 20 around the axis of shaft I8, the disk 23 and pawl 25 will advance far enough to turn the ratchet wheel and table one step and then withdraw to their original positions where the pawl engages the next tooth of the ratchet wheel, in readiness to repeat such actions upon the ensuing revolution of shaft I 8. Back rotation of the table is prevented by a spring detent 21a secured to an arm of a table-supporting collar 2lb on post 6, the detent engaging a ratchet toothed hub portion of the table.

A guideway disposed in radial relation to the table 4, and each peripheral recess thereof as they successively pause in radial alinement with the guideway, comprises a pair of spaced parallel rails 2B and 29 secured in fixed relation by inverted yokes 30, and the latter are secured to a bar 3I secured to the upper end of a standard 32 fastened to base I and to a diagonal brace 33 fastened to said standard. The rail 29 has an opening or gateway 34 and an inclined bolt-carrying and feeding conduit`35, being xed with relation to the framework and said guideway having an arcuate lower end communicating with the opening or gateway 34, the said conduit and guideway being narrower than the bolt heads but wider than the bolt stems so that the heads of the bolts B ride on the sides or rails under a guard rail 3B supported from the guideway by brackets 31, and the stems of the bolts extend downwardly between the rails, the arrangement being such that by force of gravity or by other pressure, the bolts successively slide from the conduit into the guideway with their stems in the path of a slide push-bar 38 reciprocating in the guideway, the push-bar having a raised head 39, which, when the pushbar is in retracted position, overhangs the guideway at the gate opening and the head of the bolt which at that time enters the guideway from the conduit, and thus guards against possible upward jolting of such bolt as it is arrested by abutment against the front rail 28 of the guideway.

To effect advancement of the push-bar toward the table and its withdrawal for the admission of another bolt from the conduit to the guideway, a horizontally-disposed yoke 4I) is fastened to the outer end of the push-bar, and pivoted at its outer end to the yoke is a bar 4I having an upstanding inner ear 42 and an ear 43. A spring-retracted rod 44 is slidingly mounted in said ears and has a downturned end pivoted to a crank 45 of a short vertical shaft 4S journaled in the framework and equipped at its lower end with an arm 41 pivotally connected by a link 48 to a rock-lever 49 on the framework, the free or inner end of the lever carrying an anti-friction roller 59 adapted to be engaged by a cam 5i depending from a second disk 5Ia on shaft i8.

A retractile spring 52 connected at one end to a fixed point of the framework and at the other to apply a rearward pull on the rear end o-f the link 48 and outer end of the lever 49, tends to hold the anti-frictional roller continuously in contact with and in the path of rotary travel of the cam 5I, so that the latter once in each half revolution shall rock the lever and effect advance of the push-bar and thereby cause the bolt in the guideway to enter the table recess 5-at that time in alinement with the push-bar. Immediately there# after the disk I 9 completes a half-revolution and the cam 5I permits the retractile spring to reverse the operation of the rock lever and withdraw the push-bar to its initial position and permit another bolt to enter the guideway through the gateway thereof, and during this operation, the link 2l, through the second half of the rotation of the continuously revolving disk I9, causes the disk 23, through the pawl 25, to turn the ratchet wheel 26, and hence the table, one step to carry the bolt in said recess of the table a corresponding distance, and bring the next recess 5 into register with the guideway. As the revolution of the disk I9 ends and it begins another revelution, the link 2| rocks the pawl-carrying disk 23 back to its initial position. All the following operations of the table and bolt push-bar and associated mechanism are repetitions of those described, and eventually, the first bolt suspended through the table, and retained in the recess by an arcuate plate guard 53 around the rear half of the table, is brought to a position vertically over a nut to be secured upon its lower end during the pause which occurs in the operation of the table as another bolt is fed into one of the recesses 5.

Referring now to the mechanism for holding and feeding nuts, one at a time, to position for engagement with a bolt, there will be noticed a nut guideway shown in alinement with, but at the opposite side of the table from the bolt guideway. The nut guideway comprises a bottom plate 54, a front wall 55 and a rear wall 56, there being a gateway 51 in the rear wall 56, registering with the discharge end of a nut-holding and feeding conduit, hereinafter described.

The bottom plate 54 of said guideway ts around a non-rotatable threaded sleeve 58 vertically-adjustable upon post 6, and between and in contact with an underlying disk 59 secured on the threaded sleeve 58, and a depending hub 60 of a plate 6I which serves to support the bolts as they each are successively fed by push-bar 38 into the registering recess 5 of the table and until such bolts are carried around by the table and successively attain positions vertically over the inner end of the nut guide-way, the plate, at such point having an open slot 62 to permit each bolt, supported with its head spaced from and above the table, to drop down onto a nut at that time occupying the said inner end of the nut guideway ready to be screwed into such nut by means hereinafter described, in the interim between table operations or steps. The ensuing table step carries the nut-equipped bolt forward, the nut dragging along a fixed cam bar 63 secured to plate 6i, until the said bolt is dislodged from the table to fall into a chute, not shown, for conducting the nutted bolts to a suitable receptacle, not shown. A bolt which has failed to receive a nut will not be discharged from the rotary table by the cam bar 53 (Figure 4), but will be discharged by cam bar 63a. (Figures l., 2, 3 and 4), overlying rotatable table 4 in position to contact and intercept the travel of the bolt heads in the recesses 5 of said table.

The nut guideway is equipped upon its bottom 54 under a retaining guide 64, with a reciprocatory push-bar 65, which when retracted, is outward of the gateway opening of wall 56 to permit a nut to enter the guideway from the chute or conduit 66, in rigid relation at its lower or discharge end, to the bottom of the guideway, the chute or conduit being of channel type and comprising a downwardly and forwardly inclined portion and a bottom portion of arcuate form. The front end of the latter, as

stated, communicates with the gateway for the delivery of a nut into the latter upon each withdrawal or retraction of push-bar 65, and prior to the ensuing advance movement thereof, the advance movement forcing the nut along the guideway until it reaches a stop 67, rising from the bottom 54, at which time the nut has attained a position, previously mentioned, vertically below the bolt disposed above it about the same time, by -the last-made step of the table.

To effect the reciprocatory operation of the push-bar 65, a rock lever 68 is mounted on a part 69 of the framework, and operated by a rotary cam 'i depending from a third disk 'lila rigid on shaft I8, the lever 68 at one end carrying an anti-friction roller 'll for engagement with the cam. The other end of the lever is pivotally connected by a link 'l2 with a crank arm 73 of the vertical post l@ which is suitably supported for rocking movement, and the latter also has a second crank-arm 'l5 pivotally connected by a link 16 with the outer end of the push-bar 65. After each operation of the cam effecting inward or nut feeding movement of the pushbar 65, the roller 1| rides off the cam 'l0 and a push spring 'll compressed or tensioned by the operation described, reacts and effects the retraction of the push-bar and the return of the roller to the path of the cam for operation thereby on the next revolution thereof.

To effect engagement between the bolt and nut, positioned as explained, in superposed relation, a clutch-operating mechanism is provided for downward movement to engage the head of the bolt for spinning action to screw it into the nut, but for first making sure that the bolt is in line for threaded engagement as pointed out in the object of the invention and as hereinafter described. The construction for accomplishing this result is disclosed, as follows: 'i8 is a shaft slidingly and rotatably mounted in a part of the framework and slidingly journaled thereon is a continuously rotating belt-wheel i9 driven by a belt B leading from a pulley 3| on the shaft l0. At its lower end the shaft i3 has a clutch 82 provided with four depending prongs, one or another of said prongs, on downward movement of the clutch, initially striking and consequently spinning the bolt head which causes the bolt to immediately come to a vertical position if not already occupying such position, and before the bolt head is received between the remaining prongs of the clutch. This bolt spinning takes place as the bolt attains a position over a nut in the nut-guideway. At an intermediate point, a part 83 of the framework carries a short threaded sleeve 84 in which the shaft i8 finds a sliding journaled support, and said sleeve is held immovable by nuts 85 on the sleeve and engaging opposite faces of the same framework part 83. Rotatable with the shaft and slidable thereon is a sleeve 86. To limit the up and down sliding movement of the sleeve, it has a longitudinal slot a engaging a cross-pin Sb of the shaft. The sleeve is equipped with a notched disk or clutch 3l for engagement with clutch pins 8S rotatable with pulley T9. A spring 89 bears upon the sleeve and an overlying collar 99 fixed on the shaft, and tends to hold the clutch 8l yieldingly depressed, the pin 85h limiting the downward movement by Contact with the upper end of the slot. Near its upper end, the shaft finds a second bearing in the framework at Si, and at its upper end turns in a head 52 to which is pivoted the lower end of a yoke 93 pivoted at its upper end to the front end of a rock lever 94 fulcrumed at an intermediate point of its length on the framework at 95, and the rear end of the lever has a pivotally pendent rod e6 connected to an upright link 971 pivotally connected to a rock-lever d8 on the framework, a spring Se connecting the arm and framework and tending to hold the shaft 'i8 in elevated position, and an anti-friction roller 99o: on the inner end of rock lever 98, pressed against and into the path of rotation of a cam-track 29h depending from disk BSc of shaft i8, the engagement and operation of the roller by cam track 991), lowering the said shaft, and the release of the roller permitting the spring 99 to reelevate the shaft. To avoid premature checking of the lowering movement of the shaft, the connection between rod Se and link 98 is cushioned by a compression spring l which, however, is unyielding unless the downward adjustment of shaft iii is arrested before the boit has been screwed by clutch 82 into a nut.

As each bolt from its point of reception by the table until it attains a position over a nut in the nutguideway, rests on the plate Eil with its head spaced above the table a distance slightly exceeding the depth of the bolt head, it is apparent that vertical adjustment of the plate el is necessary in order to accommodate the machine for operation with sets of bolts of different length, as the nut bottom plate 5-'3 of the guideway is in fixed relation to the plate 6 i disk 59 and threaded sleeve 58.

As one simple method of effecting such adjustment the dist: 59 and said plate di, are threaded on worm sleeve 58, which is splined for sliding but is non-rotatable on the post 6 Within a fixed sleeve IM upon the base. Said sleeve m4 is provided with a yoke H15, and within the yoke is mounted a worm wheel ite threaded upon the worm sleeve 58. Engaging the worm Wheel is a suitably journaled worm ill? operable by a hand wheel |98, the arrangement being such that rotation of the hand wheel in one direction or the other effects proper rotation of the worm wheel, which, therefore, as it is incapable of up or down movement, effects such movement of the worm sleeve and hence corresponding movement of the nut bottom plate 5ft, the bolt abutment plate Si, and the guideway and nut chute so that bolts of any length within the capacity of adjustment provided, may be accommodated. This adjustment may also be used to control the distance the bolts are screwed into the nuts. To cooperate as a guide in the vertical adjustment mentioned, an arm 55a projects from chute 66 and is fastened to a sleeve 65h fitting telescopically on standard 3.

As bolts usually are produced with a small 1in ISS at the junction of the bottom of the head and stem, the recesses 5 in the table have upstanding semi-circular ribs Elli concentric with and of slightly greater internal diameter than the diameter of the recesses, This provides a rabbet which receives such fin and usually avoids any chance of tilting of a bolt when released by clutch 82 and left wholly suspended by its head from the table, or when the clutch S2 follows it down to the point that the bolt stem is screwed the full distance provided for, into'the nut. However, slight irregularities in the bolt head sometimes occur which prevent the vertical alinement of the boit above mentioned.

Sometimes a bolt or nut is defective as regards its threaded portion. If such condition is encountered and the bolt, moving with the table, fails to engage and consequently is not threaded into an underlying nut, means are essential to automatically force the nut olf the plate', as

Csi

otherwise it would be impossible for the push-bar 65 to dispose a second nut in place since two nuts would prevent the full stroke of the push-bar and injury to the machine would result. I have, therefore, provided a reciprocatory push-rod III, which moves forward as the table makes its next step after the clutch has revolved the bolt and has then withdrawn from engagement with the latter. The push-rod III, in its advance, pushes the nut ahead until it clears the front edge of the bottom plate 54.

The push-rod is pivoted to one end of a link I I2 pivoted to an arm I I3 of a short vertical shaft I4 journaled in the framework. The shaft carries a lever II5 at its upper end, and the said lever is connected by a link |I6 to a forwardlyprojecting arm of a slide bar II'I mounted in keepers H8 fastened to a cross-bar I|9 of the framework, the slide rod also having an upstanding arm |20 for engagement by an arm I2I projecting from the hub of the disk |9 on shaft I8. A spring |23 connecting the rear end of the pushrod with the framework, is tensioned by movement to the left imparted to the slide rod by the arm I2I of the hub of disk I9, and in reacting returns the push-rod III and slide bar .I I1 to their initial positions.

Operation Assuming that the parts are positioned as indicated in Figures 1 and 5, where the bolt-push bar 38 is advanced and has disposed a bolt B in a recess 5 of the table and the nut push-bar is likewise advanced and holding a nut against the stop 61, it will be seen that as wrist pin 28 passes a dead center position to a position rearward thereof, it rocks disk 23 backward to impart similar movement to the pawl 25 until, as a half revolution of disk I9 is completed, the pawl reengages the next tooth of the ratchet wheel 26. During this operation the shaft 18 descends and clutch 82 rotates rapidly and is then reelevated by reelevation of the shaft. As at this time there is no bolt in recess 5 overlying the nut guideway, the operation of the clutch effects no result, but as the next operation of the pawl takes place by the second half revolution of disk I9, and thereby advances the table a one-sixth revolution in the device as illustrated, the push-rod III advances and forces the nut forward out of the nut guideway and off the front edge of the plate 54, this action being effected by the rotary arm I2 I pushing the pin |20 of the slide-bar |I1 to the left (Figure 4) and thereby causing rocking of shaft II4, the latter through its arm |I3 and the link H2 advancing the push-rod I I I. As the arm I2I clears the pin |20, the spring |23, tensioned by the advance of the slide-rod or push-rod IIE, reacts and returns the latter and the connected parts mentioned, to their original positions, as shown by Figure 4.

Just after the second half revolution of disk I9 starts and the table has moved the bolt out of alinement with the bolt push-bar 38 and against the inner edgeof the concentric guide plate 53, the cam 5I starts the withdrawal movement of said push-bar, through the rock lever 49, shaft 46 and plate 4| and their connections, as shown by Figures l and 4. As the roller on rock-lever 49 is shown as engaging the periphery of cam 5|, the Spring 52 is employed to insure constant engagement between said parts and reverse travel of the push-bar. After the push bar has passed the gateway 34 in its reverse travel, a second bolt advances from conduit 35 through the gateway and into the guideway.

The withdrawal action of push-bar 38 ends as the next recess 5 becomes alined therewith as the second intermittent movement of the table ends, and during this second table movement and withdrawal action of the bolt push-bar, the nut pushbar 65 readvances and pushes a second nutwhich entered the nut guideway from chute 86 upon the completion of the withdrawal of the push-bar iid-against the stop 61, and in front of slide rod III, the operations of the push-bar 65 being effected by the action of rotary cam 10 of shaft I8, on the rock-lever 68, which lever through shaft 14 and its arms 13 and 15, and link '16, effects the advance movement of push-bar 65, the spring 11, as the roller 1| clears the rear end of cam 10, reacting to return the push bar to its withdrawn position. While the push-bar 65 is advanced and the push-bar 38 has started its advance, the table is stationary, cam 99h has operated rock lever 98, and through the link 91, rod 96 and rock lever 94 have forced shaft 18 downwardly. As it descends, clutch 81 engages clutch pins 88 of revolving belt wheel 19, to effect rotation or spinning of shaft 18, the downward movement of the latter continuing until the clutch 82 barely clears the underlying rib IIO of the table.

Before the spinning operation ends and while push bar 65 is still advanced, the push-bar 38 completes its advance, and push-bar 65 has withdrawn to admit another nut to the nut guideway, and by this time, the cam 99h has released lever 98 and spring 99 by pulling down on the rear end of said lever and effected reelevation of the spinning shaft, and has permitted the pin 86h to strike the upper end of slot 86a of sleeve 86, and lift the clutch 81 out of engagement with pins 88, it being noted that as the shaft was forced downwardly, the first result was to engage said clutch with said pins 88 to start the spinning action, and that the continued downward movement of the shaft, overcame the resistance offered by the spring 89, so that the latter, when the cam released the lever 98, first assisted in reelevating the shaft 18 and through said pin 86h and sleeve 86, effected withdrawal of clutch 81 from clutch pins 88.

With the table provided with six recesses 5, it will be apparent that the bolt appearing (Figure 1) in the recess communicating with the bolt guideway, will be stepped forward three times to reach a position over a nut in the nut guideway,

vand that as it attains said position, it clears or leaves the supporting plate 6I and drops through the open slot thereof and onto said nut, so that it is free to be screwed downwardly into the latter by the spinner shaft clutch pins 82 as above explained, and then be carried forwardly by the next intermittent step of the table out of the open slot of plate 6|, and be dislodged from the table through contact of its nut with cam bar 63. If not dislodged by the latter, or if it does not have a nut because of defective threads or the like, the cam bar 63a overlying the table and carried by standard 32, will insure discharge of such bolt. As before stated, one of the prongs on the clutch 82 will invariably strike the bolt head before the head is received between the prongs and will impart thereto a rapid spinning before and after it is loosely received between the prongs. Therefore, it has been found that the bolt may be slightly out of line with the nut even though the spinning shaft is axially alined with the nut, and

that the effect of the spinning action is to cause the bolt to come to a vertical position in axial alinement with the bore of the nut and with the axis of the spinning shaft, which alinement assures the proper initial engagement of the threads for the operation of screwing the bolt intothe underlying nut.

From the above description and drawings, it will be apparent that I have produced a machine embodying the features of advantage set forth as objectives, and it is to be understood that I reserve the right to all changes within the spirit of the invention and without the ambit of the prior art.

I claimtl. A method of securing threaded bolts and nut members together when their longitudinal axes may not be in full alinement, which consists in holding one of the members with the axis of its threaded portion in a vertical plane, bringing the threaded portion of the second member into abutment with the corresponding portion of the first member without any telescopic relation between the members and while holding said second member loosely to permit of change of position of its axis without change of position of the holding means, and finally in imparting relative rotation to the members in such direction as to thread the two members together.

2. A method of securing threaded bolt and nut members together when their longitudinal axes may not be in full alinement, which consists in holding one of the members with the axis of its threaded portion in substantially a vertical plane, bringing the threaded portion of the second member into abutment with the corresponding portion of the first member Without any telescopic relation between the members and while holding said second member loosely to permit change or position of its axis, and then rapidly spinning one of the members in proper direction to secure initial starting of Vthreaded engagement7 and nally continuing said rotation concurrently with the application of pressure on the rotating member in the direction oi its threading movement.

3. The method of securing bolts and nuts together which consists in placing a nut with its threaded opening extending in substantially a vertical plane and holding said nut against rotation, dropping the threaded end of a bolt into the threaded nut opening, and finally in spinning the bolt while loosely engaging same to permit it to aline itself with the threaded nut opening and enter the same.

4. The method of securing bolts and nuts together which consists in placing a nut with its threaded opening extending in substantially a vertical plane and holding said nut against rotation, permitting a bolt to fall under its own weight and rest substantially upright with its threaded portion in relative axial alinement with the threaded opening of the nut, and finally in imparting spinning movement to the bolt to engage its threads With the nut threads.

5. A rotary circular table having uniformly spaced peripheral recesses, means for feeding upright bolts laterally to dispose their stems within said recesses successively, means for holding said bolts with their heads spaced above the rotary table for a part of the revolution of the latter and for releasing the bolts to permit them to drop downwardly at a predetermined point, and means to feed nuts successively sidewise to a position where their bores are in line to receive the released bolts to effect engagement between the bolts and nuts.

6. A rotary circular tab-le having uniformly spaced peripheral recesses, means for feeding upright bolts laterally to dispose their stems within said recesses successively, means for holding said bolts with their heads paced above the rotary table for a part of the revolution of the latter, means to feed nuts successively sidewise to a position where their bores are in line with the bolts to eifect engagement between the bolts and nuts, and means to screw the bolts into the nuts when the table is at rest.

'7. A rotary circular table having uniformly spaced peripheral recesses, means for feeding upright bolts laterally to dispose their stems within said recesses successively, means for holding said bolts with their heads spaced above the rotary table for a part of the revolution of the latter, means to feed nuts successively sidewise to a position with their bores in line with the bolts to effect engagement between the bolts and nuts, means to screw the bolts into the nuts when the table is at rest, and means to disengage the last-named means from the bolts to permit the table on its ensuing step, to carry the nut-equipped bolt to ejection point of the machine.

8. A rotary circular table having uniformly spaced peripheral recesses, means for feeding upright bolts laterally to dispose their stems within said recesses successively, means for holding said bolts with their heads spaced above the rotary table ior a part of the revolution of the latter and for releasing the bolts to permit them to drop downwardly at a predetermined point, means to feed nuts successively sidewise to a position where their bores are in line to receive the released bolts to effect engagement between the bolts and nuts, means to impart relative rotation to the bolts and nuts to thread them together, and means to dislodge the nutted bolt from the engaged recess ci the table during movement of the latter.

9. in a nutting machine, a bolt guideway, a nut guideway, an intermittently rotatable circular table having bolt-receiving peripheral recesses, means for turning the table one step to simultaneously dispose a bolt occupying one of the table recesses in line with the bore of a nut in the nut guideway and another table recess in position to receive a bolt from the bolt guideway, means :for retaining each bolt in its recess until after it is stationed in line with the bore of a nut in the nut guideway, means holding the bolt With the lower end of its stem and the lower face of its head in planes above that of the nut and table respectively, and for releasing each bolt when it is axially alined with the bore of a nut in the guideway, to permit such bolt to drop down upon the said nut.

l0, In a nutting machine, a bolt guideway, a nut guideway, an intermittently rotatable circular table having bolt-receiving peripheral recesses, means for turning the table one step to simultaneously dispose a bolt occupying one of the table recesses in line with the bore of a,nut in the nut guideway and another table recess in position to receive a bolt from the bolt guideway, means for retaining each bolt in its recess until after it is stationed in line with the bore of a nut in the nut guideway, means holding the bolt with the lower end of its stem and the lower face of its head in planes above that of the nut and table respectively, and for releasing each bolt when it is axially alined with the bore of a nut in the guideway, to permit such bolt to drop down upon the said nut, and means for turning the bolt to screw it into the nut in the interim between table turning operations.

l1. A rotary circular table having uniformly spaced peripheral recesses, means for feeding upright bolts laterally to dispose their stems within said recesses successively, means for holding said bolts with their heads spaced above the rotary table for a part of the revolution of the latter, means to feed nuts successively sidewise to a position where their bores are in line with the bolts tol eiect engagement between the bolts and nuts, means to impart relative rotation toI the bolts and nuts to thread them together, means for discharging the connected bolt and nut from the machine during the ensuing step of the table, and means to dislodge an unnutte-d bolt upon continued movement of the rotary table.

12. In a nutting machine, a bolt guideway, a nut guideway, an intermittently rotatable circular table having bolt-receiving peripheral recesses, means for turning the table one step to simultaneously dispose a bolt occupying one of the table recesses in line with the bore of a nut in the nut guideway and another table recess in position to receive a bolt from the bolt guideway, means for retaining each bolt in its recess until after it is stationed in line with the bore of a nut in the nut guideway, means holding the bolt with the lower end of its stem and the lower face of its head in planes above that of the nut and table respectively, and for releasing each bolt when it is axially alined with the bore of a nut in the guideway, to permit such bolt to drop down upon the said nut, and means in the path of movement of the bolt head to effect the ejection thereof in the event the bolt fails to fall out of a recess.

13. In a nutting machine, a,l guideway for successively receiving nuts in upright position and reciprocatory means for periodically advancing each nut as it enters the guideway to` a predetermined point, and for closing the guideway to the entrance therein of a second nut, and means for .i advancing at regular intervals to effect dislodgement of the nut from the machine in the event it is not otherwise dislodged.

14. In a nutting machine, a guideway for successively receiving nuts in upright position and reciprocatory means for periodically advancing each nut as it enters Ithe guideway to a predetermned point, 'and'for' closing the guideway to the entrance therein of a second nut, means for advancing at regular intervals to effect dislodgment of the nut from the machine in the event it is not otherwise dislodged, and means to restore the last-named means to its initial position to avoid interference with the next nut en tering the guideway upon withdrawal movement of the reciprocatory means, and disposed at the said predetermined point by following advance movement of the reciprocatory means.

15. In a nutting machine, a bolt-receiving guideway having a side gateway, a bolt-carrying chute communicating with the gateway, a reciprocatory push-bar, an intermittently rotatable table having equi-spaced peripheral recesses to be successively disposed in register with the discharge end of the guideway and to receive therefrom an upright bolt advanced by the push-bar, means to retain the bolt within the recess in the ensuing rotatable step of the table, and a plate underlying said bolt and supporting the same, with its head spaced from the top of the table until the latter in its rotation disposes the bolt at a predetermined point, means for holding a nut stationary in a plane below that of said plate and with its bore for engagement by said bolt when released from said plate.

16. In a nutting machine, a bolt-receiving guideway having a side gateway, a bolt-carrying chute communicating with the gateway, a reciprocatory push-bar, an intermittently rotatable table having equi-spaced peripheral recesses to be successively disposed in register with the discharge Yend of the guideway and to receive therei.

from an upright bolt advanced by the push-bar, means to retain the bolt within the recess in the ensuing rotatable stepV of the table, and a plate underlying said bolt and supporting the same, with its head spaced from the top of the table until the latter in its rotation disposes the boltl at a predetermined point,'means for holding a nut stationary in a plane below that of said plate and with its bore for engagement by said bolt when released from said plate, a rotary clutch, andrmeans to reciprocate the clutch into engagement with the bolt for screwing the same into the nut, and out of engagement with the bolt, in the interim between table operations.

HARRY H. GRAY. 

